What are your favorite rifle drills?

Clobbersauras

Clobbersauras

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Waaay out west.
Just wondering what rifle drills the CGN community likes to perform? Currently I do a bunch of drills that involve emergency reloads, shoulder transitions, etc, etc, involving targets at 15, 75, 125 and 200 yards (I cut out the 200 yard if I'm shooting the Sub 2000). I don't really do any pure accuracy stuff anymore. Everything is done starting standing from the ready position.

One of the drills I've added recently is a variation of the VTAC 1-5 drill (Youtube it if you don't know what that is). I only use two targets, transitioning between the two of them and ending at four rounds (freakin' mag restrictions). Right now I'm timing that drill at 3.89sec with a Sub 2000 and open sights. I've learned a lot from this drill, most importantly that driving the gun onto target quickly is more important than trying to fire quickly. Also, I learned that open sights on a rifle aren't as huge a hindrance to times as I thought they would be.

Just wondering what drills the rest of you guys like to do and why you like to do them?
 
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I like the longer range stuff out in the bush. I'll set up 3 Fig 11 targets at 500 yards then walk back and do a rundown. 500 yards prone resting on mag firing at 1st target, 10 rounds with mag change (5/20 mags) up and over the berm, run to 400 drop behind a dirt mound, 10 rounds prone with mag change, get up and run to 300, kneeling behind tree (resting rifle on a branch) and now shooting at 2nd target, 10 rounds with a mag change, get up and run to 200, standing position now aiming at 3rd target 10 rounds with mag change. 40 rounds total (8 mags). Most of the time I'm using an Acog but will still do it with irons on occasion.

Another one I like to do is set up silhouette targets (Fig 11's 12's and 14's) at unknown distances from 150 to 600 yards with different color markers tied to the tops of the targets. Then I'll have a buddy pick and call out a target, I'll find it, range it with the Acog reticle and fire. As soon as he calls hit, he gives me another one to shoot. Shooting prone off the mag with him on the binos. Great fun and you can get up some good speed going back and forth between targets.
 
No I have never timed it, I just try to shoot as fast as i can while still maintaining good accuracy and run like hell haha.
 
A lot of the V-Tac drills are really awesome. I like the 2x2x2 and the El Prez drills. I agree they really help you learn to "Drive' the weapon to the next target.

(2x2x2)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVGPEgRZwIw
(El Prez)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OfsxKFh370&feature=relmfu

I also like to do run'n gun drill to get the heart rate up, over a 200-300m spur I set up about 10-20 targets at varying ranges (60-200m) and run down the logging road taking 5 shots at each target, that helps to practice mag changes while on the move (Mag restrictions suck). Sometimes shooting positions are pre determined, and sometimes there random positions of cover. I try to make sure I shoot from standing, kneeling and prone in each run, sometimes when positions aren't pre set, it can get pretty awkward with the stumps and clear cut out there, but I feel that helps you learn what it feels like to shoot from uncomfortable positions. When I am lucky enough to have someone to shoot with, we will set up target on either side of the road and the trailer can call which targets to engage at which time.

This is myself and a couple other guys I occasionally shoot with. Clips were gathered over the last 2 or so years.
 
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I like the VTAC 1-5 drill, but at my range it's a little hard to secure 3 target stands, so I've done it with the 2 as well. I haven't timed my self yet, still trying to get the fundamentals down better. I've done a few transition drills, emergency reloads, tactical reloads. I do a few multiple shots drills, try to work the trigger and manage recoil better, at various ranges. As well as some simple position drills, (standing, kneeling, prone) and movement drills, and some shoulder transitions.
 
Here's the 1-4 drill that I did with my Sub 2000. First run was 4:08, second run 3:89 (very slooooowwww). You will notice that the second run seems noticeably slower even though times were faster. My splits were slower, but I was trying to move the gun more quickly from target to target which helped my overall time. I believe I dropped 5 shots out of the black into the white between those two runs. I need to move the targets farther apart next time.

[Youtube]gdYnqVurX3w&list[/Youtube]
 
I like to go for multi target transitioning, primary to secondary transitioning, malfunction (failiure to feed, failiure to eject, empty mag) training. Things like this are always fun.
 
So am I to assume that there are only 5 guys on CGN who actually shoot there Black Rifles like this??? THERE MUST BE MORE!

C'mon guys, I was really hoping to see or hear some good/fun ideas for more drills, it can take some serious thinking to plan the drill around our mag restrictions and still move fast enough to make things fun. The V-TAC drills are great but any other suggestions people have are always nice to try out, so let's hear some more.

Another cool V-Tac drill is the "Zig Zag rifle drill"


I use LAR mags, and 10/22's for this drill and it really helps improve on your forward and lateral movement while shooting. We use steel when we're using the .22's and paper when using rifles. Very good drill.
 
I like 2-2-2 drills a lot. I'd love to do a proper El Presidente with someone doing the assembly "counter-timer"

Me and a buddy once did a full day of shooting focused around stoppage drills where you load each other's mags with one dummy round hidden in every second or third magazine. Super fun.

I do a fair number of transition drills, going from ready to crouch, ready to prone, etc. I need to do more stuff standing though. I never shoot as good as I want to when free-standing.
 
I just so happened to get lucky and score the day off today and rather than sit on the couch and watch my 3 year old watch cartoons, I decided I better go up to the range and bang off a few rounds. Based on this discussion I thought I'd take my camera and film a few drills.

After about 200 rounds in an hour or two, these were the best one's, I didn't film all of them. I did some El Prez Drills and some forward advance (shooting on the move) on a figure 11, for those I started at about 65M and advanced to about 40M while shooting, 5+1 rounds mag change 5 rounds. Here are the results:


Edit RE: USMC Silent drill Platoon

Ummmm, WOW, that was some pretty un-real drill.:eek:
 
Yeah, it can be hard to find someone who has exactly the same interests when it comes to firearms. It's harder still to find someone who will spend the money on ammo.

Just get yourself a good timer with a belt clip. You can operate it yourself just fine. If you don't time yourself, especially on the close in drills you will have a hard time improving. Accuracy is only one of the metrics on most good drills.
 
Clobbersauras said:
Yeah, it can be hard to find someone who has exactly the same interests when it comes to firearms. It's harder still to find someone who will spend the money on ammo.

Just get yourself a good timer with a belt clip. You can operate it yourself just fine. If you don't time yourself, especially on the close in drills you will have a hard time improving. Accuracy is only one of the metrics on most good drills.
Click to expand...

I cheaped out on a shot timer....... Its a free app on my iPhone!

The stoopid thing actually works, shot to shot, splits and overall CoF time.....

I do a fair number of drills with my pistols, not so much with my rifles. There is a group of guys who get together and do drills (with pistols ala IPSC/IDPA) and what not, but I don't know anybody that does so with rifles.... I Usually I just shoot my rifle(s) and try to control breathing, trigger control etc. from different possitions (prone, kneeling, sitting & standing).I try to load up all my mags with 1, 2 or 3 rnds at least once a range trip (I usually bring 10 to 20 mags on an outing) and then I practice reloads and getting back on target. I also like to put up 3 or 4 targets at 25, 50, 75 & 100y and try to see how fast I can trasition from target to target at different ranges.

Let's face it if all you do is put .224 dia holes in paper from a sandbag it gets boring pretty quick.....

This is what I used to do in any case...... I recently moved to FUDD heaven, the closest pistol range (that I can find that is accepting new members) is now a 45min drive. The closest Restricted approved rifle range that I know of is a bit over 2hrs away...... On the plus side, I drive 5 min in any direction from my house and I can shoot my NRs!

Cheers!
 
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